Star Cross'd
by AMidnightRose1915
Summary: While Katherine is anything but ordinary, she still makes the same mistakes as ordinary girls do: like falling for the wrong boy.
1. Introductions

**Author's Note**: This story has taken a while to finally appear on this site, but I'm glad it has! This particular story is set in the timeline of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Some events have been altered to fit in with the story.

**Disclaimer**: It all belongs to JKR. Unfortunately. I do own Katherine and Laryssa though.

~**X**~

Katherine was walking through a field of tents, all here for the Quidditch World Cup. Some people recognised her and showed their respects. She had found her tent some time ago, and was now looking for a tent that she knew would be inhabited by her greatest friends. She could just make out their voices from a few tents in front of her. A large smile breaking out onto her face, she ran forwards, dodging people and canvas, until she reached a pair of small-sized tents with a sign in front marked 'Weezly'. Between the two tents, there was a large campfire roaring. The Weasleys, Harry and Hermione were sat in a circle around it, eating the remains of a mound of sausages and eggs. Harry looked up first and spotted her.

"Katherine! I didn't know you were coming!" He left his plate on the grass and stood to hug her. Ron and Hermione followed suit soon after, and the rest were calling out their greetings. Katherine collapsed in front of the warm fire and sighed.

"How was your summer Katherine? Thanks so much for all the food by the way. Those cinder toffee cakes were to die for! And that _cake_!" Harry exclaimed. Katherine smiled at him. At the start of the summer, she had received a plea from him for sugary food-apparently his monstrosity of a cousin was on a diet, meaning the rest of the household was too. She had sent him packages every month with pastries, chocolates, biscuits and sweets. She had also sent him a triple layer chocolate cake for his birthday.

"I'm glad you enjoyed the food; it sounded like you very desperately needed it. And I'm pleased that the birthday cake went down well-I made it myself. My summer was alright. The tension in the country is heating up though. Either he dies, or he lives forever. Honestly, it's his dilly-dallying that's so undignified." Hermione looked mildly shocked by this statement.

"Katherine...You can't say that! He's your king! Its treason, isn't it?"

One of the two Weasley boys she had yet to be introduced to spoke up.

"Can someone please explain all of this to me please? I'm afraid Ron was a little vague whenever you were mentioned in conversation. I'm Charlie by the way." He said, offering his hand. Katherine leant across the fire and shook it, feeling the calluses and old burn scars. This must be the one who worked with the dragons in Romania.

"I'm Katherine, and I'm Laryssan. I'm sure you've heard of them, haven't you?" There was a lot of head shaking around the circle. "More specifically, I am of the House of Entriesse. Once every few generations, a woman like us shows up. Cleopatra, Helen of Troy, Boudicca, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Anne Boleyn and Marie Antoinette are all members of my House. We all look the same. We have the Face that Launched a Thousand Ships, a gift from Helen. We all think the same, and we all share the same fate. I am one such woman-we are called the Fated. Laryssans in general though, are invited to drink from the Waters of Youth upon turning twenty-one. We cease to age from that moment onward. There are only three ways we can die after that. And an outsider needs royal consent before they drink the Waters. At the moment, we have a king on the throne, and for whatever reason, the Waters left him. He is old and he is dying. He is also without an heir, which means that when he dies, civil war will break out, trying to put various contenders onto the throne.

I, however, am a royal cousin, not to mention the Duchess of Entriesse. This means that either I or my sister will be on the throne. The other will be dead by the time of the coronation. Does that answer your question?"

The group nodded. "But," Hermione interjected "if you are one of the Fated, why are you not the only choice for the throne?"

"Because people do not want one of my kind on the throne. We have brought empires to their knees, torn countries apart, killed millions with words, with irrational actions. We are not the best queens." Katherine glanced at her delicate silver watch. "I'll have to leave you now. I'll see you at the match later; we're in the same box." With that, Katherine stood and walked off, weaving one more between the mazes of tents.

"She's...intense, isn't she?" asked Bill once she was out of hearing range.

"You have no idea." Muttered Harry as he watched Katherine go.

~**X**~

Katherine was stood in front of the large glass mirror in her tent. She had slipped the long, silky black dress on a while ago, and her handmaid had only just finished her hair and make up when Katherine dismissed her. She was sitting with the other foreign dignitaries in the Top Box, and she felt like making a lasting impression. She leaned closer to the mirror and began scrutinising her reflection. Her dark brown hair had been elaborately curled, falling to the middle of her ribcage. Her soft, pale skin contrasted the colour of the dress perfectly, and her large golden-brown eyes were rimmed with eyeliner to make them stand out. Her full lips were a scarlet red and she was liberally covered in Chanel No 5. Yes, she was ready. She wasn't queen yet, but at least she could act like it here, where her blood sister held no sway. With a final glance in the mirror, she swept from the room, her skirts swirling around her feet.

~**X**~

Harry spotted Katherine immediately when they reached the Top Box. She was dressed to impress, he guessed, and an emerald and jet necklace glittered around her throat. It looked like it cost more than the entire contents of Harry's vault at Gringotts. Idly, he wondered just how much money Katherine actually had. Her elbows were resting on the railing, and she was gazing intently into the pitch, her long hair wafting around her face in the breeze. The Weasleys said their hellos, and then Katherine returned to gazing into space.

~**X**~

Katherine was gazing at the pitch when her friends had entered. She had greeted them, but had once more become immersed in her thoughts. They had turned to the rising tensions in her home. Her blood sister, Adrianna had left the house, furious that the King had granted Katherine the dukedom instead of her, and that Katherine was born one of the Fated instead of her. She was rallying for support, throwing Katherine's status as one of the Fated in her face, using it as her main excuse. Katherine could not keep her mind on what was going on in the box around her, try as she might. All she knew was that Harry had had an argument with a House Elf. Various idiots who wanted her attention made a show of bowing, so she was forced to stand and let them kiss her hand. When the Fudge fool, who had somehow got himself, made Minister for Magic, arrived, she stood and greeted him with a short curtsy. He in return, bowed and introduced the Bulgarian Minister for Magic. She spoke to him briefly in Bulgarian, and then returned to her seat, only to be jolted by the arrival of the Malfoys. She rose once more and shook Lucius' hand.

"Your Grace...how pleased I was to hear of your father's successful campaign in Scorcha. You recall, of course, that he and I are distant cousins?"

"How could I forget? You remind him ceaselessly at every opportunity." Lucius' smile darkened. Fudge chose that awkward moment to butt into the conversation.

"Ah, yes! How is the King? Well, I hope? Still undecided who he will have as his heir?" Katherine turned to face him, the smile gone from her face.

"His Majesty is very ill. Unless he chooses a successor soon, he will leave a country behind that is on the brink of a civil war. Now let us talk no more of it, for it is an awful subject that should stay confined to the court." She sat down abruptly and caught Harry's smile, returning it quickly, but not entirely convincingly. Someone was looking right at her, that much she could tell by her raised hair on the nape of her neck. She didn't bother to turn to discover who it was though. Let them look! She ignored it and turned to the pitch, where the mascots were about to appear. !t was going to be a _very_ long night.

* * *

><p>AN: I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are very welcome!


	2. The Quidditch World Cup

A/N: More of Katherine's personality should come to light in this chapter, and in future instalments. Apologies if she sounded a little Mary-Sueish. Can I just say – I read the chapters _The Dark Mark_ and _The Quidditch World Cup_ about fifty times to describe the game and use the correct dialogue in the conversations.

~**X**~

Veela flooded the pitch amidst the Bulgarian supporter's cheers. They began dancing to music that echoed out to the stands. Their shiny golden hair wafted around them and all over the stands, men were on the brink of doing stupid things to attract the attention of the flashy things below. Harry and Ron both looked as if they were about to jump from the railings of the box, until Hermione spoke out.

"Harry, what _are_ you doing?" Harry and Ron both stared at her with unfocused eyes as the music stopped abruptly. Harry was staring at his shamrock badge as if he had no clue why it was there, and Ron was ripping the shamrocks on his hat to pieces. Mr Weasley took it from him and led him back to his seat, though he was still gawping at the Veela. Hermione yanked Harry back into his seat, and Ludo Bagman spoke again.

"And now, kindly put your wands in the air...for the Irish National Team Mascots!" Leprechauns began whirling around the pitch, dropping their gold on the spectator's heads. Katherine didn't bother to get any, knowing that it would be gone by tomorrow. Ron however, was scooping handfuls of it up and giving it to Harry, apparently paying him back for the expensive-looking binoculars the three were toting.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, kindly welcome – the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team! I give you – Dimitrov! Zograf! Levski! Vulchanov! Volkov! Aaaaaaaand – _Krum_!" The scarlet-clad players zoomed out one by one onto the pitch as their names were called out. They were red blurs swooping around the stadium.

"And now, please greet – the Irish National Quidditch Team! Presenting – Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! Aaaaaaaand – _Lynch_!" This time seven emerald green blurs shot out of the tunnel under the pitch and did a lap of the stadium in seamless formation.

Bagman introduced the Egyptian referee, and the game began. Ireland had a thirty point lead before Bulgaria managed to score. Then Viktor Krum feinted, and caused the Irish Seeker to crash into the floor of the pitch. After a few potions however, Lynch, the Seeker was back on his feet and in the air. Within fifteen minutes, Ireland had a one hundred and twenty point lead on Bulgaria, and Ireland was awarded a penalty when the Bulgarian keeper tried to elbow Mullet off her broom. The leprechauns poked fun at the Bulgarians, and the Veela began dancing angrily. The referee landed in front of the Veela and began flexing his non-existent muscles. Someone ran onto the pitch and kicked the referee sharply, making him attempt to send off the Veela. The Bulgarian Beaters landed and began arguing furiously with the referee, and the leprechauns formed the words 'HEE HEE HEE'. The Beaters kept arguing, despite the referees command to get back on their brooms, and when they refused, Ireland was awarded two penalties.

The game descended into chaos, with more and more fouls occurring. The leprechauns formed into a hand making a very rude gesture at the Veela. At this, they snapped, and seemingly turned into birds, with hideous scaly wings and sharp, hooked beaks. The Veela were soon subdued by the Ministry, and the game continued. A Bludger hit Krum in the face, and apparently broke his nose, judging from the sheer amount of blood. But Krum had other things to worry about; the Irish Seeker had spotted the Snitch. The two were neck and neck, racing towards the ground and the small golden ball, until Lynch hit the ground, and Krum caught the Snitch, blood pouring from his nose. Even though Krum had caught the Snitch though, Ireland won by ten points. The Irish were practically weeping for joy, and the applause was so loud, Katherine could hear nothing that was being said in the seats around her.

The cup was brought into the Top Box, and Katherine swivelled in her seat to look at it. The players all filed in, including a dazed Lynch and a bloody Krum, and shook hands with Fudge and Ludo. Confetti fluttered down for the Irish Teams victory lap around the pitch, and the applause was once again thunderously loud.

~**X**~

Katherine did not return to her tent that night. It was on the other side of the wood, and, to be frank, she couldn't be arsed walking all that way in stiletto heels. Mr Weasley had kindly offered to let Katherine stay with Ginny and Hermione for the night. They wandered back to their campsite amid all the celebrations, Katherine holding her shoes in her hand and talking about the Irish Chasers with Ginny while Fred and George counted their riches, won from Ludo Bagman. Once at the tent, vats of hot chocolate were made, and the game was recounted in intricate detail and discussed in depth. It was hours later when Ginny and Hermione went to bed, as did the boys. Katherine however, remained in her seat, gazing at the stars and the fireworks. Sooner or later, her exhaustion caught up with her, and she fell asleep, still wearing all her finery.

~**X**~

It seemed like only minutes later that Mr Weasley came outside and shook her gently awake. She stirred and opened her eyes slowly, unfurling her legs at the same time.

"Did you enjoy the match?" She asked sleepily.

Mr Weasley smiled at her. "Very much. It was certainly worth the amount of money I paid for the tickets. Did you enjoy it Katherine?"

"I can't say I was paying too much attention actually. You know how short my attention span is." He laughed, and they both looked out across the campsite. It was now dark. The celebrations seemed to have stopped, except for in a small field by the entrance, where it looked like they had a bonfire going.

"Some party." He joked. The glow seemed to be getting closer and closer. And what was that sound in the distance? Mr Weasley and Katherine looked at each other. It was screaming. Mr Weasley ran into the boys tent and began waking them up frantically. Katherine did the same for Ginny and Hermione, urging them to just get a pair of shoes, a jacket and their wands. A crowd of Death Eaters were marching through the campsite, burning as they went. Above their heads, the Muggle family who owned the campsite were suspended in midair, being spun and contorted by the Death Eaters below. Bill, Charlie, Percy and Mr Weasley were heading towards the Death Eaters. Katherine made to follow them.

"Katherine! Go back! You can't help here!" Mr Weasley shouted over the screams of the crowd. Katherine considered this. She was wearing a dress that would make helping the Ministry very difficult. Not to mention her lack of shoes. She ran back and met with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George and Ginny, who were heading for the woods.

"Fred, George! Please! Wait! I can't run in this dress!" Katherine pleaded as she struggled to sprint to her friends. Harry and Hermione turned.

"Katherine, come on! You have to hurry!" Hermione yelled. Katherine hitched her skirts up around her knees and ran forwards, desperate to reach her friends while they were out in the open and before they reached the trees. If they were separated and she was left alone in the woods, with a huge group of Death Eaters behind her...

She shook the thoughts from her mind and pelted forward, praying there was no glass on the path. Her prayers were answered, and Hermione soon grabbed her forearm and they ran for the tree line. Ron yelled with pain within minutes if them entering the woods.

"What happened? Ron, where are you? Oh this is stupid – _Lumos_!" The tip of her wand illuminated, and displayed Ron lying flat on his stomach on the dirt floor.

"Tripped over a tree root." He muttered angrily as he rose to his feet.

"Well, with feet that size, hard not to," said a drawling voice from behind them. The four of them whirled around, and Katherine dropped the yards of silk she had gathered in her hands during her sprint, letting it whirl around her ankles again. Draco Malfoy was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed, and a look of pure calm on his pale face. He looked like he had been watching the action at the campsite through the trees. Ron swore profusely ay Malfoy. "Language, Weasley," Malfoy remarked dryly, meeting Katherine's eyes. "Hadn't you better be hurrying along, now?" He turned to Hermione. "You wouldn't like _her _spotted would you?" A flash of green showed through the trees, and a bang that sounded like a thunderclap could be heard.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked. "Granger, they're after _Muggles_," said Malfoy. "D'you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do...they're moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh."

"Hermione's a witch," Harry snarled at Draco, his green eyes glittering.

"Have it your own way Potter. If you think they can't spot a Mudblood, stay where you are." A smug grin had formed on Malfoys mouth, and it didn't look to be leaving any time soon.

"Watch your mouth!" Shouted Ron, who looked about ready to give Malfoy a black eye.

Hermione held him back however. "Never mind, Ron."

There was another bang, a lot closer to where they were stood this time. Screams resonated through the trees.

"Scare easily don't they? I suppose your daddy told you all to hide? What's he up to – trying to rescue the Muggles?"

"Where're your parents, Malfoy? Out there wearing masks are they?" Harry asked, his voice barely containing his anger.

"Katherine, I don't think that dress is really very appropriate for a late-night jaunt in a forest. I would've thought they taught you that in all those etiquette classes they sent you to."

"No, they taught me how to beat the shit out of malevolent little pricks like you instead. Care to help me practise?"

"Oh, come on. Let's go and find the others." Hermione interjected, shooting Malfoy a filthy look.

Harry, Ron and Hermione left the clearing ahead of Katherine. When she attempted to leave however, Malfoy grabbed her by her wrist and pulled her back. The suddenness of the movement sent her tumbling into Malfoy.

She pushed him away from her, but he still kept a firm grip on her wrist, enough to leave marks.

"I'd be very careful if I were you, Kitty. I would have thought you would've wanted as many people on your side as possible." His face hovered a little way above hers, the same smirk on his face and the same shine in his soft, grey eyes. "You think I don't know how the situation is in Laryssa at the moment, Your Grace?"

Katherine stared at him for a moment, speechless. She soon recovered however, and regained her composure. "I don't know what you think you know, Mr Malfoy, but I can assure you that there is no situation in my country at the moment. Now, if you'll excuse me." She yanked her arm free of his and stalked off into the forest. She barely got a few meters away from him before she realised that Ron, Harry and Hermione were nowhere to be seen. Her wand was in the tent, and the forest was pitch black. Katherine was alone in the dark, and she was petrified.

She stumbled through the trees, arms outstretched in front of her. She felt blind and defenceless in the shadows of the trees. If there was one thing she was terrified of, it was the dark. It robbed her of her sight and hindered her movements. As if to demonstrate her point, Katherine walked into a tree root and went flying. She landed heavily on the grass, her wrist throbbing painfully where she had fell onto it. Instead of standing up, she rolled onto her back and lay there, trying to spot the stars hidden by the leafy canopy.

Katherine did not know how long she lay there for, only that it was a long while later when she heard a loud yell in the distance. The Dark Mark flashed into the sky, almost directly above her head. She panicked, pulling herself to her feet again and running in the opposite direction of the Mark. She burst though the trees on the other side of the wood, the half that was untouched by the Death Eaters. Hurrying along, she found her tent and, mercifully, her wand. She didn't bother changing clothes - she just put a pair of black flat shoes on her bruised, filthy feet, packed the tent with magic and Apparated to the Burrow, hoping she would see her friends there, safe and well.


End file.
